After guns failed to silence the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) against the oppressive Pakistani regime, Islamabad has resorted to blocking the region’s food, fuel, and healthcare supplies. Pakistan is taking desperate measures to coerce anti-government protestors into submission.
Speaking to the local media, PoK residents, truck drivers, and political leaders revealed that vehicles carrying essential commodities like food grains, fuel, and medicines are being prevented from entering the illegally-occupied territory. This inhumane blockade is exacerbating the already prevalent shortages caused by a region-wide shutdown led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).
To create an ‘all is well’ façade before the international community, the Pakistani authorities deny imposing any deliberate blockade.
The protesters, however, remain undeterred and have announced they will continue their sit-in and protests until the authorities act on their demands. They have also appealed to the United Nations, Amnesty International, the international media, and Kashmiris living abroad to draw global attention to the situation in the region.
The protests are against Pakistan’s repressive policies. Locals claim that unarmed civilians were fired upon and that the bodies of some of those killed were taken away by authorities.
A local Kashmiri said, “Unarmed people are being shot at point-blank range, resulting in martyrdom. They have even taken away the bodies of our youth.”
The unrest began with a dispute over 12 assembly seats in the region, which are reserved for refugees from Jammu and Kashmir. Local groups allege that Islamabad uses these seats to influence elections and install governments of its choice. In response to the protests, Pakistan declared the JAAC a terrorist organisation and launched a crackdown against its supporters. According to reports, at least 58 people have died in the ensuing clashes.
